Seaborne Or'kazuur
The Seaborne of Or'kazuur, Zuurites or Orks are the only remaining vestige of the old world. The Old Elves and the Dua'de could not survive the onslaught of humans, but the Orks, who's sailing prowess is such that they've long dominated the eastern seas... They were spared the wrath of the warring humans and their society has since thrived. Though they often war amongst each other as they are incredibly proud and territorial, in recent years the Or'agun, Crying Sun, has united the Zuurite peoples and begun a series of Western Sails in hopes of reducing the possibility of invasions. Ork raids have become a common site in the western shore of Hafgar as the Zuurite vessels have completely demolished any fleets that have ever tried to battle against them and what's worse, the Orks are a resourceful bunch and they've salvaged and reverse engineered vessels from much more advanced races. The children of Or'kazuur are feared across the globe for their incredible strength and respected for their strict code of honour... And though many see and revile them as monsters, soldiers who have encountered the otherwise barbaric raiders know that they do not kill the weak, the innocent or the undeserving. Physiology Though many propagate rumours of the ugly nature of ork faces, that they have tusks like boars and faces like pigs, this is untrue. The Orks and the humans share a common ancestor, some say that humans were in fact, borne of orcs. However, this common ancestry means that the ork's tusks are little more than elongated canines and their pig-faces are merely a produce of human imagination. In fact, most orcs are considered quite attractive amongst humans, with smooth facial features that roughen in their old age and dark, long hair that becomes matted quickly. The most noticeable difference between orks and humans is the color of their skin. Ork skin colors range from clay or light red to a very light brown color. The red coloration of their skin has earned them an association with the red colour in general, some say it is colour of orks. This permeates through their culture and as such many ork buildings are coloured red and, in fact, their ships are known as Crimson Seal Ships. Most orks are warriors, incredibly strong and there are very few traditional ork spellcasters. However, they can wield the power of gods. Orks are naturally stronger than most races on Pavonas, this is because their rivers are laden with arcyte and they have been consuming this for long. This gives them all inhuman strength and but dulls their senses somewhat. To face an ork in battle, one must be ready to face an opponent whom will carry out full-frontal assaults and do nothing that does not involve their great strength. Ork men are very broadly built and very power, whereas Ork women, whilst still having powerful builds are considered more lithe and beautiful. Some even dare to refer to them as the 'Coveted pleasures of Or'kazuur', as Ork women are incredibly rare. Orks breed in litters of five to six orks per. Their gestation period lasts a full nine-months and the mother cannot move for a good six months during gestation. Ork children must be protected from the world for an entire year before they are allowed to be raised normally. Ork children grow into puberty by the age of 13, much like humans. Puberty lasts only five years for them however and by 18, Orks are considered fully grown adults. After this, Orks do not age again until the age of 50, where they enter the autumn of their lives and their facial features and bodies roughen up. Orks only last ten years in this state, with most orks dying at the age of 60. Culture & Religion The first orks were farmers, hunters and gatherers. The ork men were tasked with the acquisition of food, whilst the women were given charge of the weaker children and the task of farming. Their culture did not evolve much many years, until an ork known as Go'balar created what would soon forge their modern culture. Go'balar was an oddity amongst Zuurite culture, he had lost his leg during a skirmish between two opposing tribes and thus was forced into the rather passive profession of craftsmanship. He was the greatest craftsman in the entirety of Or'kazuur, respected amongst hundreds of tribes. In fact, many often travelled to his hut to commission a trinket or weapon. The wars against his tribe were ended through tributes crafted by the injured ork. However, Go'balar had the heart of a warrior and lusted for more than the creation of trinkets and weapons for other. Then he witnessed the whales. He wondered, big as they were, why could they float on the water as if they were the smallest leaf? So, he set out to create the dawn of a new era for orks, and, for Pavonas. Go'balar was the creator of the very first boat in all of Pavonas and from his creation, thousands of others were inspired. Soon, the orks had become the world's foremost fishermen and from there their cultured evolved around the codes of the sea. Most of the Zuurite Buraqua Code was based on the lessons taught by the War of Tides. Orken sailors realized that the vessels they traveled upon demanded some sort of code of honor, for they were the vessels of progress and they should be respected. So the Buraqua code was established to ensure this was the case. The Buraqua Code is now followed by almost every ork and forms one of the cornerstones of zuurite society. Another cornerstone lies in their religion, known as the Iukta Faith. The Iukta Faith is followed by nearly every orc and works in tandem with the Buraqua Code to ensure that all orks are born and die in the sea, with their honour intact and their souls travelling through the Riverways of the Afterlife. The Iukta Faith holds that the Rivers and the Ocean that they lead to are sacred. The orks are all baptized in the waters of a river that leads to the ocean and it is said that this ritual is what gives them their immense strength. The priests of the Iukta faith are known as Zuurite Rivercallers and they are the only ones capable of using the unique Zuurite magical ability of spiritcalling. Aside from worshipping the rivers, the Iukta faith bears an animist root. At birth, all orks are given a totemic animal along with their birthname. This totemic animal decides their faith and where they are headed in the future. The most totemic animals an ork possesses, the greater their destiny. An ork who forsakes his totemic animal is frowned upon greatly as he has just shifted the fates of not only himself, but all those he was meant to touch in his life-journey. Thus they are branded with a skull over their foreheads and exiled to the west. The ork's birthname is almost always based on his totemic animal, the position of his birth and the place of his birth. Beyond this, Orks are creatures of many names. Throughout his life an ork will garner atleast seven names, amongst them: - A birth name given by their parents, based upon their spirit animal, the position they were born in and the place they were born in(For example, an ork with the eagle as his spirit animal, born facing the sky in a forest will be called ‘Soaring Feathers’ or something of the like.) - An Honor name that they give themselves during their rite of passage, which is often the name an ork keeps for the remainder of his life. This name normally refers to a particular strength or ability the ork has. - A Spiritual name that is spoken only during communes with their spirit animal. - A secret name used to mislead their enemies, this name is rarely spoken. - A love name, meant to be used between lovers. - And a Victory name, given for a great deed. All orks are expected to answer to any of their names. An ork who forgets his name is shunned from society and forced to live as a hermit. Every single orken name is sacred to them, as such Orks very rarely have repeated names. Two orks with the same name are forced to fight until one of them lays dead.